PANTHERS PUT UP SIX IN THE SECOND, DEFEAT TIGERS
By Marc Atwood
marcatwood@aol.com

(5/4/07 Chico, CA) The Chico varsity softball team scored six runs in the bottom of the second inning and went on to defeat Oroville 8-1 Friday at Haines Field.

The Tigers scored their lone run of the game in the top of the first inning when Alicia Logasa hit a double that allowed Samantha Brandt to come home. The Panthers failed to score in the bottom of the first as the inning ended on a groundout Riley Marshall that left Kait Manning stranded at third base.

Chico's second inning scoring run began when Reba Carriere hit a double that brought in Courtney Spencer. Carriere came home on Katie Nathan's single. A double by Carly Foerster allowed Sarah Kaye to score and give the Panthers a 3-1 lead. Manning added another run on a wild pitch during Keri Piluso's at bat.

Chico added another two runs when Kristin Meyer hit a single that brought in Foerster and Piluso. Valerie Graves hit a one-out single for Oroville in the top of the third inning to end a streak of seven straight batters retired by Spencer, the Panther pitcher. Graves ended up being retired when Logasa hit into a double play to end the inning.

Shelby Watts hit a single to start the top of the fifth inning for the Tigers. She was unable to score as she was tagged out at the plate after Brandt hit a single. Gwen Burke hit a single for Chico in the bottom of the sixth inning that allowed Nathan to come home. Burke finished off the scoring for the afternoon when she came home on Foerster's single.

Carriere went 2-for-3 for the Panthers with a pair of doubles and scored twice. Meyer went 2-for-2 with a pair of singles and two RBIs. Logasa went 2-for-3 for the Tigers with a double and a single. Spencer went the distance for Chico, allowing five hits and striking out five Oroville batters. Logasa pitched five innings for the Tigers, allowing six runs, seven hits, and striking out two. Courtney Bradanini pitched the sixth inning and gave up two runs and two hits.